Simply slice aubergines , dip in flour then in a 'batter' made with eggs, grated Parmesan and seasoning. Loosen this with a tablespoon of water . Shallow fry in abundant veg oil gently and place them on absorbent paper till they are all fried.

To build the 'parmigiana' you need a nice tomato sauce made by frying a base of garlic and onion then simmering the tinned tomatoes for a hour or so very gently with a lid half on so it goes 'put,put,put'. If it boils rapidly you may lose it.throw a few leaves of basil in at the end.

As if you were building a lasagna, layer the aubergines with the sauce, grated Parmesan, chopped mozzarella and a grind of black pepper. Bake for 40 minutes or so at 180/200. Rest for 30 minutes n eat.

Points:

The better the quality of ingredients, the better the finished dish so use good Italian plum (we use San Marzano from Campania) toms - Napolina are good and available all over. No need to use mozzarella di bufala, the cows milk (fior di latte) is traditionally used anyway but use Italian. If it is in water ensure you leave it to drain for an hour and pat dry before using. The egg batter is more like a tasty omelette enveloping the aub but don't make it too thick or it will take over. We lightly press it when cooling but it's a cheffy thing for precision/ portioning etc and not needed at home really. When baking, start with sauce on the bottom and finish with sauce on the top, you can put mozzarella on top for the last 10 minutes so it stays fresh looking and creamy. It is always best after it has rested and warms up lovely in the oven, tastes better just hot rather than HOT!

Other versions in the south are different, the aubergines can be just fried till golden then layered - like in Sicily, Like this you could also layer ham, meatballs, sheets of cooked pasta, boiled eggs, smoked scamorza etc. Don't be faint hearted with aubergines or they may mis-behave and undercooked aubs are disgusting! The egg in the Salerno version that we did adds protein for a pretty well balanced dish, our mum sliced em length ways and braised the fried slices in the sauce with a pinch of oregano and olives as if they were meat - no wonder aubergines were known as ' la carne del popolo' the meat of the masses!

Enjoy!

Watch out for our free masterclass demos coming to the salumeria in autumn where I shall be demonstrating the dark arts of pasta and authentic Southern Italian cooking

There cannot be many truly breathtaking vistas on this planet as emotionally charged as the ones from the gardens of Villa Rufolo in Ravello or the sweeping mountain framed Bay of Salerno seen from the tortuous winding road hugging the mountainside from the local Sita bus. My heart dances a tarantella every time the driver sounds his funky horn and hits the noisy air brakes but I don't think many buses go crashing down into a watery grave at all, apparently.

Artisan Italian Beers

Besides eating like a porcellino in the eateries and baking like a pie on the beach I hooked up with my friend Gerardo who owns a fine restaurant specialising in the local Cilento cuisine. He is also a pioneer of the burgeoning artisan beer scene over there with over 400 independent brewers producing unpasteurised, unfiltered brews with the same passion as winemakers. All bottles seem to be large and served, shared, in proper beer goblets. We shall be introducing some to the Restaurant and Salumeria with an Italian beer week in Autumn. I predict a massive surge in popularity in these drinks as more and more people are starting to be as discerning with their drinks as they are with their food.

Is it just me who hates the thought that all the popular International brands are 'brewed under licence in the UK' by the same few factories. And while we're purported to be a nation of beer drinkers they are taking (and selling) the p*ss, Dear me!

We spent a delightful evening in the Osteria Canali, Gerardo's place by the Duomo, in the historic quarter of Salerno, his food is 'rigorously Cilentano' the area in Campania south of Salerno. Nuttin' fancy but products sourced and cooked with a fanatical eye to correct local tradition and the seasons. We ate, amongst other things, warm salad of fresh organic white beans with wild chicory, cavatelli with courgette flowers, stuffed bitter escarole with capers and olives and some serious aubergines. I don't recall eating any meat or fish but we said no more after the pasta dish so maybe it was next!

O muss' e o per' e puorc' - veals head and pigs foot, served with salt and Amalfi lemon.

Talking of meat, I got to eat something I hadn't tasted since the 70's - spleen stuffed with parsley, garlic and chilli and braised in vinegar. I was telling the local butcher how mam used to send me to the Harry Bottomley's butchers in Stanningley for some 'melts' as it was known, Harry thought it was for the cat and we got it free. I was ashamed to tell him my mam cooked it for us! The butcher laughed and said his mum had made some that very morning because it was a feast day so he gave me half; that day I served it to the family (sliced thin and served at room temperature) and can you believe not one of them wanted to try it! It has a strange texture but was delicious and brought back some strong memories. I continued going back in time the following night at the feast of San Trofimena, the Patron Saint of Minori when I enjoyed boiled calves head and pigs foot with salt and lemon from the back of a van - marvelous!

http://www.osteriacanali.it/

Salumeria Chef Jim ‘Barone’ Waters spent a week in the kitchens as a guest of Planeta, probably the most visionary wine company in Sicily and widely considered responsible for putting Sicilian Wines into the International limelight. Their hotel, situated in the heart of the vineyards around Menfi, is a haven for food and wine lovers and the Chef,Angelo Pumilia, cooks brilliant Sicilian food with a contemporary edge. Barone spent a week cooking with Angelo and also assisted in some of his cookery demonstrations and wine pairing dinners. He has really enjoyed his time there and has written a trip report below. This is a fabulous destination for a gastronomic wine break, all the guests (only 14 rooms) sit at one large very impressive olive wood table and are able to drink perfectly matched wine flights with dinner. The open kitchen even has an area for guests to watch the chefs at work. For more info on La Forestiera http://www.planetaestate.it/home/cucina-2/?lang=en

Sicily Day 1

Set off early, Landed in Milan and had my first coffee. Now I’m here.

Sandwich of sweet toasted bread , ham,melting cheese and juicy tomatoes, why can’t all airport food be this good.

Flight lands in Trapani and am meet by a huge smiling guy named Johnnie.

Arrive at the Planeta estate and introduced to the chef Angelo. The first thing he asks is am I hungry. I answer troppo fame!. I am then brought down into a beautifully designed spacious kitchen where I’m introduced to another chef, a tiny guy named Salvo. As I later find out there are a lot of Salvos working here. As soon as it’s clear that I’m hungry he sets about like a whippet flawlessly dressing a plate of Carpaccio of locally caught pink prawns filled with fresh ricotta herbs and dressed with a vibrant mandarin chutney.

Within seconds he dresses to plate and I quickly polish it off with some fresh bread and a crisp glass of white, which Angelo says is one of the cheapest wines Planeta produce but to his taste one of the best. To follow, baked leg of lamb roasted overnight in a charcoal oven for eight hours till the meat is falling of the bone. The lamb is served with sautéed local vegetables ( everything is grown and produced locally) the lamb is dressed with a fresh end very light pesto of fresh herbs and sun dried tomatoes. To drink I had a glass of dark Italian beer which complimented the flavour of the lamb very well.

I can’t wait for tomorrow.

Day 2

I joined a cooking demo with the sous Chef (Melcorio) and one of the owners and cooked for a group of American journalists and some wealthy tourists fromNew Jersey.

This is what we prepared for them

Deep fried chick pea cubes with wild fennel and black pepper.

Caponata of Aubergine, celery, capers,olives and onion.

Deep fried cubes of béchamel.

Crostini topped with caponata, sun-dried tomato purée, almond, carrot, mint and muscat wine.

Day3

I did a cooking Demo with Angelo and Rosella for the guests, we prepared some Sicilian classics

Caponata

Red mullet baked in herb crust

Hand rolled poor man's pasta with a fresh vibrant Trapanese pesto

Orange, fennel and anchovy salad.

Freshly made cannoli with local ricotta,chocolate and candied fruit.

Delicious!

Day 4

A Days cooking at the Planeta wineries next to Sambuca di Sicilia

Me and Angelo set out for the day with acar full of ingredients to go and cook some country style food for a group of sommeliers from all over Spain. Drove though Sambuca where Angelo says thereare a lot of Mafia. Apparently the homes look run down from the exterior but inside are like palaces.

After navigating a rally course of a road past fields of grapes and olive groves.(every space of land you see is filled with grapes or vegetables.) we arrive at a county style house with a very basic but usable kitchen equipped with a huge wood burning oven where Angelo says they sometimes roast whole swordfish which are about 90kg.

They also have a huge feast for all the workers and their families in June where they cook for around 1200 people. They Get though 100k sausages, 100k of pizza dough, 50k of pasta - serious amounts of food! Apparently they start making pizzas at 4 in the morning.

The food we cooked was very simple,country style as Angelo put it.

Pasta with sautéed garlic, anchovy,tomato and broccoli with fresh basil and lashings of Planeta oil.

White fish baked in herb crust dressed with lemon and oil served with a salad of radish, tomatoes, cucumber and orange.

For dessert a large platter of sliced wonderfully juicy oranges with toasted ground almonds.

I spent half a day visiting one of our suppliers, Villa Reale, who send us artichokes, anchovies, capers and other organically grown Sicilian vegetables in oil.

The rest of the week was spent working in the Foresteria kitchen with Angelo and his brigade cooking for the guests, we also prepared a special testing menu for a group of VIP clients and journalists.

All too soon it was over and I was back in rainy Leeds.

The feedback from the boys was 100% positive and the results of the trip was apparent and immediate on return to work, we have sourced some new suppliers, arranged a chef swap, found a cookery school run by starred chefs/educators for short specific courses and had a good time too.

Bob is organising another 3 day trip in autumn for 8 people, anyone interested can email me at Salvo’s for the details when I get them! I can also recommend it for any restaurant/Deli/ company in the food business who may want to have a bespoke (4 max) and very personal and knowledgeable tour to immerse themselves in true Italian food culture.

Lunch was at Blu Marine, a restaurant right on the beach in Francavilla. The charming proprietor Anna D'Armi welcomed us with Camparis and prosecco which we drank on the beach in brilliant but windy sunshine, I'll take that in April anytime thank you. Another long meal ensued, all fish and seafood, well cooked by Anna's daughter Chef Federica. The first highlight was the raw seafood selection, most of which was still moving, well you know what they say in someplace or another - a dead fish is not a fresh fish. We all loved this courseand I was happy that the chefs finally got to taste one of my favourite 'crudi'or raw. Fasolari are big clams with a bright orange bit which stands up proud when you touch it, they are also known as 'Il cazzo del Re' or the kings prick which caused us no end (no pun) of mirth. The cuttlefish with peas was another favourite but the whole meal was delightful. We have invited Federica to spend a week in our kitchen and one of our chefs will do the same in hers. Result.

We had a splendid evening and managed to eat most of the short menu of 6 starters, 5 primi and 6 mains. For antipasto I particularly enjoyed the veal carpaccio which was served with an intense sheeps milk ice cream and the pancotto which could be described as a refined Abruzzo croque monsieur - alight fragrant cheese, bread and onion combination which looked and tastedgreat. We tried all the pasta dishes, Ricotta ravioli with pepper and pecorino,cazzarielli - hand made semolina pasta (shaped like a cazzo I presume!) served with pea puree, confit tomato and crispy pork cheek, Maltagliati with saffron, flowering courgettes and parmesan, gnocchi with salt cod, broad beans and basiland tagliatelle with tomato, marjoram and wild mountain asparagus which we hadseen in the market earlier for 30 Euro per kg. We shared 3 mains, grilled lambwith artichokes and potatoes, rabbit with braised fennel and coffee and sloooowcooked beef cheek in a deep montepulciano reduction. A surprising dessert was the chocolate 'canoli' which was a dark chocolate cone with a sheep's ricotta filling. The bitter chocolate and the deep flavoured,almost salty sweet ricotta made for an intriguing taste experience. With 3 bottles of recommended wine, one of them a dessert wine, coffee and Genziana, dinner came in at 50 Euro ahead. The Maitre d’ Giuliano looked after us splendidly and Head Chef Davide was kind enough to come out and discuss the menu with us. My first love in Italy is rustic and traditional Osterie and Trattorie but this is where I shall return when I need a little finesse without pretence.

This type of low impact fishing with nets on the sea bed has all but disappeared but some are used to host dinners and we found ourselves sat out in the middle of the sea sipping sparkling Cococciola, a local grape variety from Chieti up the road, and nibbling deep fried fresh anchovies out of a paper cone as we anticipated dinner. It was an epic session with manycourses and wine recommendations arriving thick and fast, perhaps too fast attimes. This is what we ate;

Fried anchovy in paper cones.
Sardine scapece, an old recipe for preserving fish in vinegar, cooked and served pickled with onions
Cephalopod salad. Cuttlefish, octopus and calamari with celery and carrot
Mackerel with Pacchino tomatoes - the olive oil was so good in this!

Ancho and pot cake gratin. perhaps my favourite dish.
Fried fish balls.

Seasnails n mozzarella in baked rice - perhaps my favourite dish.
Cuttlefish n artichokes - this may have been my favourite dish
Stuffed mussels. What's not to like!

Sagne conceci, cozze e scampi. Fiery Abruzzo chillis were offered with this soupy pasta dish with chick peas, langostines and mussels

Brodettoo zuppa di pesce. Skate, mantis shrimp. Haddock. Sole. Mussels and Cuttlefish broth. We were full by now, I wish we had ignored the beautiful bread.
Frittura. Deep fried seafood
Cake, fruit and biscuits and Genziana bitter digestif with coffee.
We arrived back at the Hotel and were asleep before we even got there.

Lunch in the Ristorante San Eufemia was pasta with wild boar and pasta with porcini, I asked for some antipasti to start but the owner wouldn't let us have any because we were pasta tasting! We agreed the quality of the pasta was pretty serious and after some local char grilled lamb washed down with a light Rose Cerasuola d'Abruzzo (14.5 %) we headed for San Vito on the coast.

We can't even get arrested!

We arrived at the Hostaria Vestina, a local trat in Montesilvano that has been serving arrosticini since 1972. Crikey, they've been around longer than Salvo's! We asked the owner Carlo Chiola for some tipical dishes and enjoyed my favourite red wine accompaniment, arrosticini. These are skewers of local mutton charcoal grilled, seasoned with salt and served with bread and olive oil- it's all about the quality of the 3 ingredients and the skill of the cook (what's new!). Superb, but as it was late we only had 60 of them. Tripe, spaghetti alla chittara, mixed bruschette with sausage, roast peppers, tomatoes were washed down with many carafes of local Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Carlo put a couple of bottles of Genziana, a local bitter digestif made from the roots of a mountain plant famed for its health giving properties. We were fed, watered and ready for our lightning Gastromania tour of Abruzzo the following morning.